Despite the global burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and evidence that investment in preventive care improves health and is cost effective, per capita spending on preventive care is very low compared to curative care.

Prioritizing preventive care strategies to address NCD risk factors requires strong government leadership, supportive legislation and health policies, and multisector interventions.

Health promotion foundations that have secure and sustainable funding can be used strategically to address NCD risk factors, complement government spending on preventive care, and contribute to promoting healthy populations.

Together with partners, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, established in 2001 and funded by a 2% levy on tobacco and alcohol, contributed significantly to addressing NCD risk factors. It can serve as a model for other countries.

In light of the ongoing noncommunicable disease (NCD) epidemic and slow progress in addressing NCDs—despite several United Nations General Assembly High-Level Political Declarations since 20111,2—we argue that existing investments in health promotion are inadequate and not effective to address NCDs and create healthy populations. We showcase the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) as an example of how an institution can serve as a model for other countries considering how to address NCDs and create healthy populations.3

In this article, we refer to the top 10 causes of death in Thailand, which cover 8 NCD conditions4: ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, liver cancers and cirrhosis, lung cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. Note that mental health is not among the top 10 causes of mortality. The top 5 risk factors that contributed to disability-adjusted life year loss in 2019 were tobacco use, high fasting plasma glucose, high body mass index, high blood pressure, and alcohol use. All of these are in the ThaiHealth priority program of work.

Despite the evidence that …